4 Everyday Elements Homeowners Take for Granted

Living a modern life comes with a great deal of conveniences that are easily taken for granted. Its pretty common to never give a second thought to the pipes and wires in your walls, the humming appliances that clean your dishes and clothes, and even the fact that you can go to sleep at night without worry of insects joining you. All of these modern conveniences make our lives easier and safer, but rarely get the recognition they deserve.

In honor of World Plumbing Day, which celebrates the vital but under-appreciated role plumbing plays in human health and safety, we asked our experts what else homeowners take for granted. Our experts pointed out many features in our homes that deserve our appreciation.

1) Running Water

World Plumbing Day is all about water, and there’s nothing we take for granted more. Expert Greg Chick of Ramona’s Plumbers has noticed that customers often get restless if the water is shut off for as little as an hour, yet complain about water bills that are too high. “The reason the bill is too high is some homes use 400 to 800 gallons a day!” Chick explains. “At .007 cents a gallon [water] is cheaper than dirt.” It’s easy to forget that water isn’t an endless resource. Installing low-flow toilets and washers, taking shorter showers, and rinsing dishes in a basin instead of under the tap can all help reduce water usage.

“The reason the bill is too high is some homes use 400 to 800 gallons a day! At .007 cents a gallon [water] is cheaper than dirt.”

-Greg Chick, Owner of Ramona’s Plumbers

2) Sewer Lines

When people discuss plumbing, they’re usually talking about showers and sinks, but the other end of the operation is just as important. As expert Edward Burris of Convenient Plumbing points out,

“If home owners would have their main sewer lines roded on a preventive maintenance they wouldn’t have sewage back up that I have seen do major damage to carpet and wood floors.”

You should be getting your sewage lines cared for on a regular basis, and always be sure to flush out your garbage disposal with warm water. If you have a back flow device on your water supply, you should also get that tested yearly. No one wants water contamination!

3) Electricity

Except on the rare occasion when the power goes out, most of us are unaware of how often we use electricity. But it is present in nearly every aspect of daily life, from your computer to your coffee maker to the lights over your head. Just waking up in the morning to a room that isn’t freezing cold or boiling hot is the work of electric furnaces and air conditioning. Even having electrical sockets in your walls is quite a feat, especially if your home had to be renovated from an older model. As expert Pablo Solomon of Pablo Solomon Design reminds us, “it wasn’t that long ago when electrical sockets were a thing of science fiction.”

“..it wasn’t that long ago when electrical sockets were a thing of science fiction.”

-Pablo Solomon

4) Living Pest-Free

Modern homeowners get to enjoy a clear separation between “inside” and “outside,” which means that bugs and rodents are not a regular element of our lives. But living pest-free is a fairly recent development in human history, and if you neglect your home, it’s easy for outside invaders to slip right in. As pest-control expert Joseph Molluso of Northeastern Exterminating explains,

“Once a house is infested with mice, roaches, rats or even worse bed bugs, the home owner begins to understandably act frantic.”

Be glad you don’t have to battle roaches to get a bite of your dinner!

In all of these cases, a little bit of prevention can go a very long way. Expert John F. Peil of JP Sollutions LLC reminds us,

“Many times homeowners forget routine maintenance which costs them a lot of money in the long run. If they would just change the filter, the furnace might work, or if they would clean their gutters a couple of times a year they would not have costly water intrusion into their home.”

To be certain your house is always in prime condition, you should be cleaning pipes and clearing vents wherever you can find them, and making repairs and replacements when they’re needed.

Lastly, if you get a chance, remember to send a word of appreciation to the men and women who are always there to fix what needs fixing.